Every one of us has felt disillusioned at work at some time or another. But sometimes that disillusionment drags on and on, slouching toward who knows where. According to a worldwide Gallup poll, only 15% of the world’s one billion full-time workers feel engaged at work. That means a whopping 85% of us are disengaged, disgruntled, or dissatisfied. How to turn this around? Who better to ask than organizational psychologist extraordinaire Adam Grant?
Adam Grant is an expert on how we can find motivation and meaning, and lead more generous and creative lives. As a popular TED speaker and the bestselling author of three books that have sold over a million copies, he has helped Google, the NBA, and the U.S. Army improve life at work. Adam has been Wharton’s top-rated professor for six straight years, and has been recognized as one of Fortune’s 40 under 40 and the world’s 10 most influential management thinkers. He’s also a former magician and junior Olympic springboard diver.
If that wasn’t enough, Adam recently started the second season of his excellent podcast WorkLife and I’m delighted to talk to him about it in today’s episode of Savvy Psychologist. The show takes you inside some of the world’s most unusual workplaces to discover the keys to better work. You’ll never see your job the same way again. Season Two launched a couple weeks ago, so check it out, subscribe, and I dare you not to binge-listen to catch up on all the great episodes.
Just click the player above to hear our conversation!
In this episode, you will learn:
What disgruntlement at work really means and how to harness it for success
The four options we have when you’re dissatisfied
How to rally when we feel dissatisfied at work
Why to ask for advice rather than help
How feeling unappreciated at work affects us, and how to turn it around
When gratitude journaling is effective, and when it’s not
How to instill values of concern for others in our kids
The mismatch between what we want for our kids and what our kids think we want
The optimal time to turn things around at work
The last word on creativity and why it took an outsider to recognize the genius of Seinfeld
